Amplifier network



Jan. 1, 1952 J, D, NOE 2',580,822

AMPLIFIER NETWORK Filed Dec. 2, 1947 FIE E2 INVENTOR. Jer-re D. Noe

Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNITED VSTATES PATENT. OFFICE f f i 2580322 AMPLIFIER. NETWORK Jerre D. Noe, Palo'zAlto, Califgiassignor toHewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto,- '(lalif., a corporation of .California Application December 2, 1947, Serial No. 789,153

iclaim. (c1. 179-171) This :Invention 'relates generally toelectronic amplifier networks, and particularly to' aniplifiers V applicable to videor and' audio 'frequencies In a co-pending application filed of even'date in the name 'of Howard M. Zeidler, andfentitled Amplifier Network," now Patent No. 2,566,508,

issued September 4, 1951, there is Ydi'selos'ed an improved amplifier applicable to video and audio v frequencies, and characterized particularly by a relatively fiat ampllfication'gain over a wide range of operating frequ'encies. A feature of the Zeidlerinvention is that loss of rgain at low frequencles due to Mscreen and/or cathode degeneration 'and resulting from Vinadequate bypassing, is compensated for by an increase in'the plate circuit 'gain of the tube; The preferred embodiment disclosedV in said co-pending application provides afb'y-pass condenser. across the cathode resistor,l in order to prevent'unde'- sirable cathode degeneration due to return of an appreciable portion of the plate current' to the 'cathode through the cathode resistor, and to the capacitance formed by the' output capacitance of' one amplification stage plus the input capacitance of the succeeding stage. In certain instances it is desirable however to use the cathode resistor as a feedback element, and in such instances it is undesirable or impractical to bypass the cathode resistor for high frequencies.

It is a general object of the present' inventi'on to provide an electronic amplifier network of the tvpe disclosed in'said co-pendi'ng Zeidlr application, and which will be adapted'for operating conditions where it is undesirable or impractical to by-pass the cathode resistor for high frequencies, as for example where the cathode reslstoris used as a feedback element.

Additional objects and features of the invention willf appear from* ther following description in which the preferred embodiment'has beenV set for-th in detail in conjunction with the accompanying orawing.

Rferring to the drawigz' i Figurel 1 `'is' a circuit diagram'illustratin'g' a oneosta'ge amplifier network incorporatingthe present invention;

Figure 2 is a circuit diagram like Figure 1 but with symbols* applied as used in formulas contained in this specification.

The single amplifier stage illustrated in Fig'- ur l comprises a Vacuum tube pentode-jlll con-i sisting of the plate ll, suppressor grid l2, screen grid [3, control grid Hi, and cathode IS; Input `voltages are applied to the control grid 14 as indicated. The plate circuit includes a conductor ls, the two resisters n and ls, enda souie of B battery or plate Voltage asy indicated' The negative side of the.` plate` Voltage source is presumed to be grounded. Biasi'ng resistor IB 'connects the cathode |5 with ground. Resistor 2! connects the screen grid l3 to a point between the resistors ll and l8. A condenser 22 connects from the screen grid l3 to ground, and another condenser 237 connects from the point of connection` between resistors ll and 18, toground. One side of the input is shown connected to the control grid [4 and-the other side= to ground.I l 1 'i Referring to the symbols applied to Figurel'2, the gain of the amplifier network described above, for the higher frequencies at which by-passing condensers Ca and Cg'are effective, can be Vex-Jr pressed by a formula a's follows:

(Equation l) GairlrHign Freq,`)=m %m where Gm=Mutual conducta'nce of the control Ygrid with respectto the plate current.

Ri, R1 =The Values of resistors Ri and Rx.

Gsg=Mutua1 condu'ctance of the control grid with respect to the 'screen grid current.

The above assumes that (-Equation 2) Gm=[Z-] 'em e.,--Constant e,

( Equation 3) Q 8,, eu-oonstant I isgl=lnstantaneous Vvalue 'of varying `components i of screen 'gridcurrent 4 respect to the-control` grid. esg=1ncrementa1 screen grid Voltage.

At low frequencies where condensers Ca and C4 may be considered as an open circuit, two compensating effects occur. The first effect is screen degeneration due to resistors R4 and Rs causing a reduction in gain. The second effect is an increase in effective load resistance in plate circuit from R1 to approximately (RH-Rs). If the effect of the degeneration isV taken into account, it is found that the cathode current ib is equal to (Equation 5) ibe(Gm+Gll) Fu Ilu Fu With a knowledge of the total cathode current ib and a knowledge of the partition of this` current between the screen and plate circuit, the low frequency gain may be written directly as I have discovered that when the Various components of the network are proportioned in accordance with certain mathematical formulas, the gain of the stage will be constant for the normal high frequency cut-off, down to as low as direct current. These mathematical formulas are as follows:

(Equation 7) The above Equation 7 can be derived by equating the Equations 1 and 6 for the high and low f'requency gains. Equation 8 expresses the value of condenser C4 to provide constant gain for the transition region between the high frequency gain and the low frequency gain.

As an example of a network having its components proportioned according to the above formulas (Equations 5 and 6), Values can be used' as follows: 4

R1=5,000 ohms Gm=4,000 micromhos G.;=1.300 micromhos lMsg=31 Rk=150 ohms Ra=755 ohms R4=5,600 ohms n has been noted'th'a't the network is nc'm'r'ex-4 tremelycritical with' respect to .the Valuesof con- .v densers'iCs and Cl. The input admittance to the network is substantially larger at higher freque'ncies when condenser C4 is removed, than when this condenser 'is present, due to the Miller effect between the grid and screen grid. Therefore it is desirable to select a value for condenser C4 which is sufliciently large to effectively by-pass the screen grid to ground at a frequency substantially lower than that at quencies by choosing the circuit components in accordance with the mathematical relations stated in this application results in zero phase shift due to the screen grid by-pass elements at all freouencies down to zero.

I claim:

In an electronic gamplier network for amplifying a wide range of freouencies including relatively low audio frequencies, the network incorporating a Vacuum tube having plate, screen grid, control grid^and cathode4 elements; of a platecircuit including 'a source of plate Voltage and two serially connected. resistors (Ri and Rs)'. another resistor (R4) having its on'e terminal connected to the screen grid and its other termina] connected to a point between the two first named resistors, whereby one of said first named resistors (Ri) is connected between the plate and said third resistor, a fourth biasing resistor (Bk) connected' between the cathode and the negative side of the plate Voltage, a condenser (C4) connected between thescreen grid and the negative side of the plate Voltage source, a sec--` ond condenser (Ca) connected from the point betw'een the two first named resistors to the negative side of the plate Voltage source, the Values of said resistors and saidcondensers being selected to conform substantially to a mathematical relationship expressed by the equationI RFRI: G., G,,.R,

Gm+Gu GmR/l'i'Rk(Gm+Gll)(F4u+]-) and also the equation GuRl JERRE D. Non.-

REFERENCES cI'rEn The following references are of record in file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'l'ENTS- 4 Date the Number Name 2,218-,92'5 Roberts Oct.. 22, 1940 2,305,861 Gehman Dec. 22, 1942 2 354,537 Nrgaard July 25, 1944 2,392,415

OTHER REFERENCES RCA-Receiving Tube Manual (1940 Edition) Figure 14 -5 (p. 207). O ilice Library.)

- Soller Jan. 8, 1946' (Copy in Patent` 

